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6 Hawaii residents travel to Japan as part of pilot program to bring back tourists

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3 years ago

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6 Hawaii residents travel to Japan as part of pilot program to bring back tourists


HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – As a part of a brand new pilot program, six individuals from Hawaii grew to become the primary in a gaggle of vacationers to Japan to see how prepared the nation is to reopen to vacationers.

The group included solely seven vacationers from the USA — together with one individual from Los Angeles.

Japan stopped permitting new arrivals in 2020.

Edward Sugimoto, a Mililani resident, went on a five-day enterprise visa to Tokyo and simply bought again.

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He mentioned the method of touring to Japan consisted of finishing a whole lot of paperwork and enduring lengthy traces and hours-long waits on the airport.

“The toughest half was submitting for visa,” he mentioned. “You additionally should get a destructive COVID check inside 72 hours. It’s a spit check. After which then it’s important to wait, we waited about perhaps 40 to 45 minutes to get the outcomes again.”

Sugimoto mentioned from touchdown to getting their baggage, it was about two hours — which is shorter than the three to 5 hour course of he was anticipating.

Because the proprietor of Aloha Revolution, Sugimoto mentioned he traveled to community at occasions selling Hawaii.

“The whole time I used to be there, I most likely noticed perhaps 5 individuals with out masks. Everybody else was masked, preserving social distancing,” he mentioned.

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“It’s rather a lot emptier than it usually is, the trains usually are not as crowded. The touristy spots usually are not as crowded. Plenty of shuttered companies, there’s a whole lot of them that aren’t even open.”

To move again residence, Sugimoto needed to take one other PCR check. If he examined optimistic, he’d have to remain in Japan and quarantine.

Fortunately that wasn’t the case — and he had a quiet flight again with half the aircraft empty.

“I felt for them as a result of on the Hawaii-side, we aren’t seeing guests as properly and we’re feeling the influence of that,” Sugimoto mentioned.

After a current assembly with Japan journey officers, Gov. David Ige mentioned he’s hopeful Japan may reopen this summer time.

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Japanese media stories it could possibly be as quickly as June that vacationers from nations with low transmission charges will not should quarantine no matter their vaccination standing.

Copyright 2022 Hawaii Information Now. All rights reserved.



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Hawaii

State fines Hawaii American Water for unpermitted discharges | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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1 hour ago

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January 4, 2025

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State fines Hawaii American Water for unpermitted discharges | Honolulu Star-Advertiser


COURTESY DOH Hawaii Department of Health logo.

COURTESY DOH
Hawaii Department of Health logo.

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Hawaii health officials today said they have fined Hawaii American Water $47,750 for discharging effluent exceeding permitted limits of ammonia nitrogen into the ocean.

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The state Department of Health has issued a notice of violation and order to the private water company for 14 such discharges from its East Honolulu Wastewater Treatment Plant between August 2022 and 2024.

“Ammonia is derived from the breakdown of proteins and amino acids in wastewater,” said Kathleen Ho, deputy director for the Environmental Health Administration, in a news release. “High concentrations of ammonia can have toxic effects on aquatic organisms and contributes to excess nutrients in the water. As such, the discharge of ammonia above allowable limits into state waters is unacceptable.”

In addition to exceeding limits allowed under its state-issued National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, the Health Department said the company also failed to submit required noncompliance reports on two occasions.

In addition to paying the penalty, the notice requires Hawaii American Water to take corrective actions.

Honolulu-based Hawaii American Water owns and operates the East Honolulu Wastewater Treatment Plant, which serves about 35,000 people, according to the notice. The treated wastewater is released into the ocean via an outfall at Sandy Beach.

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DOH said based on state laws, all persons, including business owners, government agencies and visitors must comply with water pollution laws, and that failure to comply may result in penalties of up to $60,000 a day, per violation.

The department said it charged the company for 10 days of exceeding the limits rather than 12 because two were less than 1% over the permitted limit.

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Hawaii American Water may request a hearing within 20 days of receiving the notice.




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Will Hawaii Implement a New Tourism Tax This Year? Here’s What To Know

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9 hours ago

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January 3, 2025

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Will Hawaii Implement a New Tourism Tax This Year? Here’s What To Know


When Hawaii’s legislative session opens on Jan. 15, one of the first orders of business will be voting on a new fee for incoming tourists.

In a Dec. 31, 2024 memorandum, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green announced plans for “building a climate-resilient Hawaii” which would include a fee for tourists that would help fund the state’s conservation efforts.

“The administration has also been working on proposing the ‘Green Fee” to the legislature. The initiative will require visitors to pay a fee to help fund climate resilience initiatives,” the statement read. “These funds will support efforts to preserve and protect our environment and promote clean energy solutions. As a result, these efforts will help build a more resilient, sustainable Hawaii for our future generations.”

The fee would be in addition to Hawaii’s existing tourism tax — 10.25 percent with an additional 3 percent in some counties.

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Initially, Green campaigned on a $50 flat fee for tourists during the 2022 election. A year later, officials proposed establishing a visitor impact fee program which would charge travelers a fee to buy a license to visit a state park, forest, hiking trail, or other state natural area. The initiative fell short and was not passed. 

At the start 2024, a bill calling for a “modest fee” for tourists that would generate more than $68 million in revenue each year and increase awareness of the impacts of climate change was introduced. Weeks later, state lawmakers chose not to pass the initiative despite devastating wildfires that ravaged Maui’s western coast mere months prior in August 2023, which resulted in more than 100 deaths and destruction of historic Lāhainā.

Hawaii is far from the only destination imposing a tourism tax. In September 2024, New Zealand nearly tripled the fee for international visitors and on Dec. 1, 2024 the Maldives began a departure tax that ensures travelers contribute to island preservation. The countries join a long list of locales – including Iceland and the Italian city of Venice – using fees to help combat overtourism.

Read the original article on Travel & Leisure



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Fires damage two homes in East Hawaii – West Hawaii Today

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20 hours ago

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January 3, 2025

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Fires damage two homes in East Hawaii – West Hawaii Today


East Hawaii firefighters were busy with a pair of house fires over the New Year’s holiday.

Nine units answered a 1:47 p.m. alarm Wednesday of a fire at 18 Hokulani Street in Kaumana.

The first unit arrived three minutes later to find the home’s occupants — Owen Matsui and Anna Joaquin Matsui — outside but uninjured.

Heavy smoke and flames were coming from the rear of the structure, according to a Hawaii Fire Department statement. The fire was confined to the back lanai, kitchen and rear bedroom of the single-story, three-bedroom residence.

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The fire was reported under control at 2 p.m. and extinguished at 2:20 p.m.

Damage was reported at $498,500, and the cause of the blaze is under investigation.

The alarm for the second fire sounded at 12:03 a.m. Thursday for a house on Mapuana Street in Kalapana Seaview Estates in lower Puna.

Six units responded, with the first arriving at 12:28 a.m. Firefighters found the 1,500-square-foot, single-story wooden-framed residential structure fully engulfed in flames.

Neighbors with garden hoses attempted to keep the fire from spreading to their homes.

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Nobody was found at the actual scene of the fire, but according to an HFD statement, neighbors told firefighters that the structure was abandoned but had frequent squatters.

The fire was reported under control at 12:55 a.m. and extinguished at 3:40 a.m.

The loss was estimated at $150,000, and the cause of the fire hasn’t yet been determined.





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